About Doris Lindner

Doris Lindner was born in Llanyre in Radnorshire, South Wales in 1896. She studied sculpture at St Martin’s School of Art in London, the British Academy in Rome and at Calderon’s Animal School in London. Both her Abstract Sculpture and her Art Deco models were exhibited in Heals store in London in the 1920s, where Joseph Gimson, Managing Director of Royal Worcester, saw them. The Company were taking on many freelance modellers and Mr. Gimson asked Miss Lindner to do some trial models. In 1931, an exhibition was held at the Beaux Arts Gallery in London, to advertise the new lines being introduced by Royal Worcester. This included some of Frederick Gertner’s historical figures and the work of several female freelance modellers, such as Gwendoline Parnell, Stella Crofts, Freda Doughty, Ethelwyn Baker and Doris Lindner. Doris Lindner’s first models for Royal Worcester were of dogs, other small animals and Art Deco figure studies, followed by a series of zoo babies. In 1935 she started a number of horse group models that proved very successful including ‘At the Meet’ and ‘Huntsman and Hounds’, which were made over a number of years. In 1948, Doris Lindner modelled Princess Elizabeth on Tommy, which was issued as the very first equestrian Limited Edition, establishing her reputation. The plaster maquette (or model) was commissioned for the Coronation in 1953 by Selfridges of London, who erected the full size model over their main door during the celebrations. During the next decade, she modelled many animals and figures for general production, including some birds and animal studies. In the 1960s, Doris Lindner modelled a fantastic series of horses, equestrian studies and bulls, all studied from life. She travelled widely to gather information about her subjects. She consulted breeding societies and journeyed to America to study champion cattle in Texas. Miss Lindner worked in plasticine; she cut her models into sections before bringing them to the factory and always asked for her materials back in order to re-use them. The Limited Editions designed and modelled by Miss Lindner reached the height of popularity in the 1960s and she worked untiringly until she was over 80 years old. Doris Lindner died in 1979.